Rhode Island Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Rhode Island does not publish its drywall class figures online. Across the 25 states that do, the median typical premium is about $4.08 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Rhode Island figure.
No official Rhode Island figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Rhode Island class code for drywall
- 5445: Wallboard Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers
- 5480 (Plastering NOC & Drivers)
- 5491 (Paperhanging & Drivers)
Drywall work carries lifting injuries from heavy sheets, dust exposure, and ladder and scaffold falls on high walls and ceilings.
What comp costs per drywall installer in Rhode Island
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 440 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Rhode Island (May 2025), the 33rd largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $22.65 an hour, 20% below the US median of $28.33.
This trade is a bigger part of the Rhode Island job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 1.7 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $4.08 per $100 of payroll (Rhode Island does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.92 for every hour worked, or $1,922 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,767 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Rhode Island pay runs from $18.31 an hour at the 10th percentile to $38.22 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.75 an hour on a new hire and $1.56 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Rhode Island
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners exempt; officers may waive via a state filing
- State fund: Private market (Beacon Mutual is the dominant carrier)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive only if disability exceeds 21 days
- Penalty for going without: Fines up to $1,000 per day; chargeable as a felony; stop-work orders
Rhode Island requires construction independent contractors to file a designation notice annually and separately for each hiring entity.
Rhode Island vs neighboring states
- Connecticut: about $5.50 per $100 of payroll
- Massachusetts: about $3.94 per $100 of payroll
Rhode Island does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Massachusetts is the cheapest for drywall comp at about $3.94 and Connecticut the most expensive at about $5.50 per $100 of payroll.
If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.
What moves a drywall comp bill
- Drywall hangers and tapers usually share one class. Stilt and scaffold falls and lifting injuries are the claims to manage.
- Piece-rate pay is common in drywall. Comp is still charged on the full amount paid, so piece-rate crews do not lower premium.
- Drywall subs without their own coverage are the largest audit risk in this trade. Collect certificates before the first board goes up.
- If you also frame or do acoustic ceilings, those can be separate classes. Record payroll for each kind of work.